Hi guys, finished re-framing my bike yesterday (cbr1000rr 2004), put new bearings in the steering head (headstock) and the races were not a tight fit i checked the bearings and races with a measuring thingy vernier i think its called and its definately the stem thats worn, anyone had this problem before, can i have the stem ali welded/machined or is the frame scrap, iv'e put the bike together and took it out for an hour and when braking its a bit scary as the front end is bouncing back and forth that much that you can hear it let alone feel it, iv'e stripped the front end again and am now asking you guys for help on what to do next as i'm stuck and am now going to drink myself stupid. passed my mod 2 fornight ago, got bike/insurance and am abit depressed as i ain't been able to take it out properly yet
Can you post pics of the stem or part of the frame that you think is worn? Might give an idea on what is wrong.
i'll post some up tomorrow mate as the bike is in my neighbours garage who's helping me fix it, have you ever heard of the actual steering stem wearing? i tried the new bearing races in my old frame and they were tight but in the new frame they are loose
are you saying the bearings in the head stock are loose?or the fit around the shaft is? seems strange for the headstock shaft to be worn,but if it is,then i'd scrap it and get another. you cant really add to it and then machine it (well i suppose you could,but be a real pain) as the shaft needs pushing out of the bottom yoke,which needs a press. would nt be hard to get a used(from a breakers) head stock shaft+bottom yoke. question is,was it doing it before,if not why is it doing it now?
Does sound a bit weird. Has the new frame perhaps been modified to suit a different front end? Without seeing it though it's hard to pin point.
I think the chap who i bought the frame off has had me in which is probably why he was breaking the bike in the first place. Fitting in the frame is loose (top and bottom) around the race, meant to be a tight fit but just drop in.
Yea best deleting your last post mate. Doesn't sound too good on an open forum. Best thing you can do is check all the numbers on frame and engine.
are the numbers in tact on the frame? did you buy it from a dealer or private? if the frame is damagd then you can get your money back through legal action as it's not fit for purpose. i'd be dropping the sellar a message,wait and see what he says then get yourself down the CAB. deffo sounds like the frame is goosed.are there any stress marks,paint flakes/rubs etc on it?
He has edited the post mate, taking out other info he posted about the bike. Hence why I recommended he did so.
yeah mate i'm trying to dig my way out but getting deeper and deeper in the sh@t as i go along, phoned a mechanic who said he can ''shim'' the frame stem, does this sound ok to you guy's?
cant you just go down to a bearing stockist and see if theres an oversize bearing you can fit? then maybe machine the headstock and stem out more to fit> if anything it would probably be better than standard?
ill look into it but won't it be a bit impossible to find someone who makes a custom bearing or is it just a case of dropping lucky on a bearing to fit an oversized stem, i have got a mini lathe and where i work there's a industrial hydraulic press (please feel free if anyone needs to use it or post it to me and i'll sort it)
i wouldn't be doing fuck all with that frame until i had it checked on a jig by someone that knows what they are doing. no way should the head bearings be loose in the headstock so something is bent/cracked somewhere,more than anything they should be hard to get into the frame.
is the stem hole round and true or is it slightly elongated(would have to check with a vernier)? could have suffered an impact to the front maybe. just out of interest why what was wrong with your original frame?
A largely built friend of mine managed to ovalise the frame around the headstock bearings on a GSXR1000 K1 - lots and lots of wheelies with heavy landings is what did it. The Honda frame is different obviously - can you post some pics? Shimming it up might work.
that was a common fault on the old gixxers,frame would crack/snap very easily around the headstock. as for shimming,it'll be hard to shim an oval to take a round bearing,plus as i've said,i wouldn't be even thinking about it till it was checked properly on a jig etc.
Just a thought, it might be worth while trying to get an imperial sized bearing to fit. How much oversize are the bores in the frame? Are we talking about a couple of thousands of an inch or a pr**k in a bucket type of fit. As others have suggested, you would be wise to get the frame checked out and especially check the amount of material that has been removed to allow for the loose fit of the bearings. Another thought, is the stem standard size or oversize too? Two thoughts in the space of 5 minutes, I need to go and have a lie down now
thanks for all the help/advice, i took my blade to the local repair place and left it with them after telling them the advice youve gave me so i at least sound like i know what i'm onabout (a little bit), just phoned me saying there sending it to a specialist to have it checked and shimmed 'Dave the frame' in brum, the gap between the bore and the race bearing i would say was only a couple of thou but enough to make the bike shake badly when braking, said summat about engineering die for flat spots and then shimming, dreading the bill for the work but thats life, just hope i get it back for the weekend as the suns meant to be out
